


Run For The Hills

by Kunstpause



Series: Elastic Heart [1]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/F, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-12
Updated: 2017-02-12
Packaged: 2018-09-08 03:39:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8828902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kunstpause/pseuds/Kunstpause
Summary: “Wow, a short joke towards a dwarf, your creativity knows no bounds today.”





	1. Never looking back, or too far in front of me

“Can you hurry the fuck up already?” Amara had little patience on her best days. On the worse ones she was on a job and said patience ran razor thin.

“Calm you pointy ears girl.” Came the gruff reply from the dwarf next to her. Her and Lorn hat been stuck on keeping watch together again. And while he was not the worst company, being stuck on guard duty didn’t usually help her feel better. “You know she is working as fast as possible.”

Amara knew. But it didn’t really calm down her anxiousness. Something about this job, about this night had put her on edge hours ago and it had yet to let up. So far the job had gone perfectly. There was no obvious reason for her discomfort.  
They had been breaking and entering as a team for months now and this job had been no different from the countless others. She or Melina, a fellow elven woman who was very handy with everything people wanted to stay locked would open the doors they were not supposed to, then all three of them would sweep in. Two of them on guard and the other one getting what they came for. 

“You know Mara,” Lorn was casually leaning against the wall behind them, looking like he didn’t have a care in the world. He probably actually didn’t. Burglary came as naturally to him as breathing. “You really need to relax more.” He chided her playfully. “You are more tense than that bow you practice with far too much lately.”

Amara huffed and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I practice exactly as often as needed for improvement, thank you very much.” She had only taken up practice a couple of weeks ago after all.

“Yeah, but we are working almost exclusively in the dark and in very close quarters - what good is a bow there actually?” Lorn kept teasing her about her need to learn an, in his opinion, ‘useless fighting style’. She had to admit that he was somewhat right about it. To a degree.

“I can still whack you over the head with it,” she retorted. “Granted I’d have to bend my knees but I can manage!” She smirked at him.

Lorn played up being offended as well as her. “Wow, a short joke towards a dwarf, your creativity knows no bounds today.” He winked at her before he turned around to check outside the windows again. When he was done and found nothing worthy of note he turned back towards her. “I am serious about the relaxing though.”

Amara smirked back. “I have you know I relax plenty. I relax all the time. Every day. And then some.” She couldn’t see his eyes rolling because of the dim light but she was sure that was what he was doing.

“Sleeping with the duke’s daughter in your profession has to be the opposite of relaxing…” He mused. “And a very stupid idea on top of it.”

Amara grinned. “You know me, I am full of bad ideas.” She was always the first one to admit that. “And I can honestly say no actual ‘sleeping’ has ever happened, not even once.” 

She gave him a look that was nothing short of suggestive. Lorn had to stifle his laughter at it. 

“Well, at least you are smart enough not to stay the night - there is hope for you yet elf!”

She didn’t dignify him with an answer of her own and just went back to waiting and carefully listen for any sign of them being discovered.

“You know, next time I want the easy job of standing around and doing nothing.” The voice of their third companion came silently from the door. Melina had a large book covered in linen slung over her shoulder and what looked like the remnants of at least three broken lockpicks in her hair.

“I volunteer for lockpick duty next time,” Amara nodded. “Anything to get out of doing nothing for over an hour.”

Lorn faked a look of deep disappointment. “And here I was thinking we make the greatest team ever.” His beard covered half of his face but still he looked entirely unconvincing.

“We do, “ Amara agreed. “But we make the best team when we are in different rooms and I don’t have to play ‘guess in how many taverns the dwarf hung out last night’ with myself.” She pinched her nose in a horribly bad imitation of an Orlesian woman as if annoyed by his smell.

“Cut it out you two.” Melina intervened good naturedly. “Lorn, we all love you and Mara: not everybody has a lover that has a bathtub full of rose water. Be considerate!” She playfully scolded them.

“I really don’t see why everyone has to bring up my choice of bed partner today.” Amara mumbled quietly while checking over their equipment. A bit louder she went on: “I think we are good to go.”

Just as they were turning around they noticed the man in his sleeping clothes, holding a single candle and staring at them incredulously. Amara cursed inwardly. How in the world did they not hear him coming? The house was in peak condition but the wooden floors should have given him away minutes ago. He seemed shocked about finding them in his study and for the moment too confused to react quickly.

“Ah crap,” Amara cursed. “I hate when this happens.” Annoyance and exhaustion blended together in her voice. The man in front of her seemed close to finding his voice again but before he could even open his mouth there was a sharp hiss in the air and with a dull sound a knife embedded itself in his chest. Amara’s arm was still stretched out when he fell to the ground with an almost comical expression of surprise on his face. His lips slightly parted he made no noise, his throat paralysed as the poison ran through him. She stepped over him and pulled the knife back out before carefully seething it without touching the blade. Lorn quickly checked the door behind them but it seemed their surprise guest had been on his own.

Melina shuffled anxiously next to her. “Was that necessary?” She hissed. “He couldn’t even see us very well - we could have ran.” Even though she should know better there was an accusatory tone there when she spoke.

Amara shook her head. “Boss’s orders. No witnesses.” They were good at their job and so far none of them had ever been caught. Amara was certain their boss’s strategy in that regard played no small part in that.

“Do you have absolutely everything?” She asked her friend.

Melina patted the book and nodded. “All the numbers are in here, shipping manifests, records of all transaction, the whole thing.”

“I am guessing the boss was also clear on the ’no evidence we were here’ part for this job?” Lorn asked while taking another look around. The grim expression on Amara’s face told him all he needed to know. “Figures. Well, looks like we are going all out tonight.” 

Amara took one last look at the man at her feet. He was bleeding but his breath still came out shallowly. She missed his heart by half an inch. A quick death would have been merciful she thought for a second before she was reminded to focus on the task at hand by the shuffling feet of her companions around her. The candle he had dropped was still lit when she picked it up. 

“You both get out and to a safe distance.” She ordered. “We meet at the usual place in an hour.” The other two just nodded and she heard them leave behind her as she stepped over to the curtains hanging on the massive windows. It was a shame really, the villa was one of the nicer houses around here. Methodically she set the curtains on fire one by one before the put the candle down in the middle of a bookshelf. She briefly wondered if there were other people living here. She quelled that thought instantly and made her way to the door. 

Desperate and fearful eyes followed her from the floor. For a moment she paused. He would die anyways but the fire would be infinitely more unpleasant. With a sigh she turned back in in a fluid motion she hovered over him, knife drawn again.  
“May whatever god you believe in grand you as much mercy as I do.” She spoke softly before she slit his throat with a quick move. 

The heat around her grew stronger and from the corners of her eyes she could see the bookshelf standing in flames by now. Without a last look around she went up and followed her friends into the night. If there were desperate screams to be heard from the inferno behind her she refused to hear them.


	2. The present is a gift, and I just want to be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Run away with me Amara!”

“Run away with me Amara!” The first time the words came out of Evina’s mouth Amara laughed wholeheartedly. 

 

“Of course! Let’s run away, penniless and probably hunted. It will be very romantic right?” She jested. When there was no immediate reply she looked up at the other woman. Evina’s hand kept stroking through her hair, untangling single strands down her naked shoulder. It was one of those rare moments when they both had nowhere else to be for a while and just stayed in bed, clinging to each other knowing that this time too would run out again.

 

Something on Evina’s face made her realise she wasn’t entirely joking.

 

“Oh.” Was all Amara could say for the moment. “You are serious?”

 

Evina’s laughter sounded embarrassed and she hid her face behind her other hand, smiling.

 

“It really is a ridiculous idea, isn’t it?” She seemed determined not to look Amara back in the eyes.

 

“Pretty much, yes.” Amara agreed as she pulled her a bit closer. “I do have a much more realistic idea on how on spend this morning though,” she teased the other woman as she started to slowly kiss her way downwards and slip underneath the covers.  
A pleased sigh was all the answer she got for the moment and everything else felt unimportant for a while again.

 

 

\-----------

 

 

“Run away with me Amara?” Evina slurred. She was barely able to hold her ale upwards anymore. Hunched together and hidden far away in the darkest corner of the tavern they had been enjoying a rare evening out together. An evening of drinking and dancing in a part of town where no one cared who they were.

 

“Right now?” Amara wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol that made her head fuzzy or Evina pressing into her side and her breath on her neck. “Where would we even go?”

 

Evina’s eyes shone brightly in the dim light. “Anywhere. Everywhere! I don’t care. Just as long as we’re together.”

 

And for a moment Amara could see it in front of her, clear as day. The two of them in a far away city, living their lives openly. Arm in arm, strolling over the marketplace. Or even taking a boat and travelling the seas. Together with the wind in their hair. Exploring a faraway forest and sleeping under the stars. For a small moment in this dingy tavern, surrounded by loud music and laughter and the sound of people tirelessly enjoying whatever small happiness they could find while dancing at the edge of despair she saw an entire future for them. And it was tempting her. Tempting her to just take this woman she was so utterly in love with. Take her away and never give her back. 

 

But the moment was fleeting. And with the sound of a falling ale keg, the scratch of a chair being pushed over wood and a startling loud laughter further away from them it was gone. 

 

Evina had her eyes closed in front of her, swaying to some music only she herself could hear in her head. 

 

“I think I have had too much to drink.” She confessed, making it sound like it was supposed to be a secret. “Take me home 'Mara?”

 

And so Amara gathered her up in her arms and promised her she would bring her home safely. When she left, she left behind enough money to cover their tab and an unspoken dream of happiness on the table.

 

\-----------

 

“Run away with me Amara.” The seriousness on Evina’s face was startling. Amara wanted to back away but it felt like she was locked into place under the other woman’s gaze.

 

“You know that it is not really that great a joke right?” She tried to lighten the conversation. Exhaustion was all over Evina’s face.

 

“I am not joking, I mean it. Let’s run away, the two of us. Somewhere where we can actually be together as we want to.”

 

Amara finally managed to take a step back and shook her head.

 

“Don’t be ridiculous. We can’t!” She retorted as if it was a fact that was unchangeable.

 

Evina seemed to be taken over by frustration. “Why not?”

 

Amara blinked. “Do you really need me to list all the reasons why this is a bad idea? Alright, there is your father, who would probably hunt us. We would have no money, we would have to cut ties with absolutely everyone, we would basically be on the run forever… Do I really need to go on? It’s not worth it!”

 

Evina recoiled as if Amara’s words had physically hurt her. “You don’t think us being together would be worth it?” Her voice was strangely hollow.

 

Amara’s eyes widened at that. “No!” She had to hold herself back to not shout. The servants in Evina’s house were asleep but she couldn’t risk waking even one of them. “That is not what I meant!” She hurried to say. “You are worth everything to me!” 

 

“Then what did you mean?” The other women still sounded hurt.

 

She let out a deep sigh. “I meant, you have a good life here. You have a family who loves you and you have almost everything someone could ask for - it is not worth throwing that away.” ‘It’s not worth throwing that away for me’ she added silently in her head. 

 

A small tear fell down Evina’s face. “I know what you are saying should feel right but I just…” She had trouble speaking. “I just want to…”

 

Amara rushed forward and took her in her arms. “I know!” She murmured into Evina’s hair. “I know, me too.” And for the first time Amara realised that however much she wished to - what they had might not last forever.

 

\------------

 

It was close to midnight when Amara pulled herself up on the lever of the open window. After reuniting with Lorn and Melina after an almost botched job she had stayed to give a report to their boss and to get the soot and the smell of fire off her before she went on her way to the house she visited almost every night. She had taken the long road, trying to get her head to quiet down. Whenever she went to her love right after a job she felt somewhat dirty. She couldn’t help but shudder as she wondered for the millionth time about what Evina would think if she knew all the details about Amara’s work. Not for the first time she thought about doing something else. For her. To be more of a person that the other could be proud of. 

 

The room was almost completely dark as she dropped into it quietly. The moonlight gave a faint glow, just enough to see. Evina was sound asleep. From the looks of it she had been waiting for her, trying to stay awake. Amara felt a wave of fondness rolling over her. Her love usually started her days very early. She must have been exhausted and still tried to wait for her. 

 

Asleep and with the moonlight shining on her Evina was breathtakingly beautiful. Not that she wasn’t during the day but Amara was struck by the peacefulness of her features and this moment. All their meetings were always hushed and most times hurried. There was never enough time or calm and quietness to just look at each other, take each other in without a care in the world. It was almost unsettling how deeply she felt for the woman in front of her. The nights when she couldn’t make it through the guards to see her had become harder and harder to bear over the years. 

 

She took off her coat and her boots as silently as she could and slid underneath the covers next to her. She smelled like soft bathing oils and spring flowers and Amara breathed her scent in deeply. She pulled Evina close to her, her back against her chest as she nuzzled her neck and pressed soft kisses on her shoulder. The other woman let out a content sigh and pushed closer to her, never really fully waking up.   
‘This is how it always should be,’ went through Amara’s head. This was happiness. Only a fool would pass on this. And Amara had many disparaging words in her vocabulary for herself. But a fool she was not.  
“Run away with me Evina!” She whispered quietly into her ear before sleep overtook her.


	3. Walk like warriors, we were never told to run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One last job.

One last job. The day she had made this decision had been freeing. One last time she would do the things she was so very good at and after that they would leave. Together. Evina had been overjoyed when Amara had finally given in. They had spend the entire morning lounging around in her bed, holding each other in their arms and imagining all the possibilities their future held. There had been laughter, tears of joy and excited whispering interrupted by moans of pleasure in between. They felt almost drunk. Drunk on life, their love and the almost palpable taste of the future just in front of them. When they came back to reality again they were left with a plan, a goal. One last job.

The job was routine. She had told her boss she would be out after the next job and she had gotten something easy as a parting gift. A regular contract that called for an assassin, for a client that had employed Amara’s boss before. Nothing out of the ordinary. She had gotten the location for a drop. The usual location, the usual time. Everything was so incredibly ordinary that it should have felt off. Any other time Amara would have noticed the tingling on her neck. That feeling one gets when something big is about to happen. But this night Amara didn’t think about the horrors of her job. This night her mind was occupied with thoughts of Evina waiting for her at home, their packed bags, and the maps full of places they were going to see.

When she got to the place there was the usual silver bowl waiting for her. On other occasions it had been filled to the brink with possible targets. Today there was only a single folded paper inside, half hidden by a larger envelope on top of it. Amara opened the letter that had a deceptively plain appearance and started to read, expecting the usual clauses. ‘Don’t get caught, don’t leave evidence, never leave a witness behind’ usually followed by a payment drop location. This time the letter had none of those things in it. Instead, in a very crisp writing, was a single sentence: “Songbirds are not meant to fly.”

With confusion Amara put the letter down. Dread pooled in her stomach as she reached for the other paper. Her fingers were remarkably calm as she unfolded it. It didn’t have the a name on it as it usually did. Instead it simply said: ‘Your Heart’. Amara’s stomach twisted as she realised she had been set up. There was no contract here. At least not for her. Throwing caution into the wind she threw the paper aside and started to run. Through the almost empty streets she flew, looking like a madwoman to everyone she passed by with her face twisted in worry and Evina’s name on her lips. Her feet splashing into the occasional puddle while she ran as if a horde of Darkspawn was behind her. 

She didn’t stop running until she had reached the small garden underneath Evina’s bedroom. With a practised jump she reached windowsill above her and started pulling herself up. The window was open as it was every night when Evina expected her. Amara drew both her knives, preparing for every eventuality. There was a small light coming from inside and for a second Amara feared she couldn’t move, panic almost paralysing her on the spot. She fought through it by sheer willpower and burst into the room.

Inside, Evina was jumping up in surprise, her writing utensils flying out of her hand as she scrambled away from her desk. Startled she looked at the woman in front of her. Amara was out of breath, looking wildly through the room, her eyes settling on Evina. She felt tears of relief welling up in her eyes at the sight. The knives fell down to the floor with a clunk and she was almost launching herself at the other woman, pulling her close to her chest. 

“What…” Was all Evina got out before she was almost smothered against Amara.

“You are alright, you are alright!” Was all Amara got out. With both her hands she framed Evina’s face and kissed her deeply, desperation slowly making way for relief. When she pulled back Evina was looking at her curiously.

“Of course I am? But you are early, I am not ready to go yet.” She sounded almost apologetic and Amara allowed herself to smile for a moment before she snapped back into reality.

“Listen, we have to leave right now!” she insisted. Evina was frowning and Amara hastily explained. “Something is wrong, my boss set me up and they were threatening you. We have to leave, this instant.” She knew she sounded a bit erratic but she had no time for mincing her words.

“Me?” Evina looked as shocked as Amara had felt earlier. “But how? No one knows about us!” 

Amara shook her head. “I don’t know, they must have found out somehow. Where are the bags?” She was already looking around the room hastily.

“One is over there by the window, the other one is still in the closet.” Evina seemed still puzzled by all this but she got into motion. “Get the other one,” she instructed Amara as she grabbed the papers she had just been writing on and a small purse of coins and went to the window to stuff them in the almost ready to go bag. With quick steps Amara went into the next room that doubled as Evina’s rather large walk in closet and grabbed the bag and two long coats for them to wear.  
“If we hurry we can make it out of the city gates before they are closed for the night,” she speculated as she came back into the bedroom.

A soft whimper was the only answer she got. Amara whirled around, the bag and coats still in her arms. In front of the window was Evina, looking at her with fearful eyes, her head slightly tilted back. A knife was at her throat. Amara instinctively dropped everything she held to go for her own weapons, only to have her hands grab into thin air. She was without weapons and worse, the knife on Evina’s throat was hers.

“Well, I have to say: I have never had a job this easy,” the hooded figure behind Evina mused. Amara was balling her fists in anger at her own carelessness. Only a short moment she had been in the other room. She herself hat entered a home and killed people in less time than that. 

“Please let us talk,” she begged through gritted teeth. Evina was still breathing, keeping it that way was all that mattered. “We can pay you, very well in fact. You don’t have to do this!” She hated how shaky her voice was. Way to lay out all her cards and show this assassin exactly how important Evina was to her. 

“I don’t think we have anything to talk about,” the figure snarled. “Contrary to you I take my commitment very serious.” 

Amara could see Evina shaking in the other person’s grip. But even afraid for her life Evina was not someone to cower. “How did you even find us?” She asked bravely, carefully trying not to move while she talked.

The assassin behind her chuckled. “Oh, you can thank your dear elf over there,” he said darkly. “We had no idea who you were or were you live. Thankfully Amara here was a great guide. We just hat to appeal to ‘her heart’ and she lead us right here.”

All the colour drained from Amara’s face as she realised what the had done. “Please,” she choked. “Don’t do this, I beg you!” 

“You should have thought of this earlier,” the assassin spat. “You’re of of the best of us, you should know how this works.” Amara saw the tears welling up in Evina’s eyes as he put pressure on the knife and instinctively tried to rush forward. She stopped dead in her tracks as she heard a sharp whistling sound and screamed in pain as a crossbow bolt embedded itself in her upper thigh. She felt another bolt rush past her and embedding itself into the wall behind her as she fell to the ground. 

“You run away from the guild and five minutes later you have forgotten that we never work alone…” He sounded almost disappointed in the fact that she seemed to make his work exceptionally easy tonight. “No one leaves the guild, and since you think you have a reason to leave, well, we’ll simply remove that reason.” 

Amara wanted to launch herself at him, scream, anything to stop what was going to happen. Her eyes found Evina’s, who was looking at her through tears.  
“I am so sorry…” Amara whispered, her own voice leaving her. She saw Evina’s lips move, before she could hear. 

“Amara, I lo…” a gargling sound stopped her mid-word and Amara couldn’t look away as she saw her own knife cutting through the woman she loved. She didn’t scream. There wasn’t a single sound except for the eerie sounds of death claiming yet another victim. 

The assassin let both the knife and the body fall to the floor and Amara still sat unmoving. The look on Evina’s face was burning itself into her mind as she stared at the now blank looking face lying on the floor. Her eyes were still open, looking right through Amara, damning her with their emptiness. 

Carelessly stepping over the body the assassin moved towards Amara, grabbing her harshly and pulling her up. Another person joined him from the balcony and together they dragged her outside. “We are supposed to bring you to the boss, she has plans for you still,” he answered a question that she didn’t ask. “You should consider this a warning,” he went on. “We can do much worse to you.”

Like slowly waking from a trance Amara turned her head and looked at him. “Worse?” She shook her head. “You killed my heart. You might as well leave me here for I doubt there is anything worse you could do.”

His grip only turned harder as they kept dragging her with them. “They always say that somehow.” There was a dangerous edge of excitement in his voice. “They are always wrong.”


End file.
